Hanger for cables and the like



March 11, 1947. R. E. EGGERT ET AL. 2,417,244

HANGER FOR CABLES AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. i, 1945 g WIJMWCYILA/ aid Emma [06%6 faefkr Asa/mp0 6, 5/905:

Patented Mar. 11, 1947 HANGER FOR CABLES AND THE LIKE Ronald Edgar Eggert and Leonard Carl Brose, Burbank, Calif., assignors to Adel Precision Products Corp, a corporation of California Application January 1, 1945, Serial No. 570,954

Claims.

This invention relates to hangers for supporting electrical cables and the like on messenger wires or similar supporting members.

An object of the invention is to provide a hanger for the purpose described which is of simple and inexpensive one-piece form constructed and arranged so that it may be readily and easily locked in cab e embracing position then as readily or easily hooked and locked onto a messenger wire or like support so that it is securely held against being accidentally dislodged and likewise held against opening and releasing the 'cable, or may be first aflixed to the messenger wire then closed around the cable.

Another object is to provide a cable hanger such as described which requires deliberate manipulation in order to be opened for removal or replacement of the cable .while remaining in locked position on the messenger wire, a separate, deliberate manipulation being also required to remove the hanger from the messenger wire.

A further object is to provide a cable hanger such as described which affords the advantages herein noted by reason of being made of a single strip of resilient metal bent to form a cableembracing loop having hook ends of special formation, the said ends being adapted to be readily snapped into nested and hooked relation to one another and to automatically lock the loop closed around the cable and thereafter being hooked onto the messenger wire so as to be also automatically locked thereon.

Another object is to provide a hanger such as described which may be first hooked and locked onto the messenger wire while open for reception of the cable and subsequently locked in closed position with the cable therein by simply forcing the hooked ends into nested and hooked engagement with one another; or may be first closed around the cable and then hooked on the messenger wire.

With the fOIegOlng objects in view, together with such other objects and advantages as may subsequently appear, the invention resides in the parts and in the combination, construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a hanger embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the hanger when in use and indicating by dotted lines the open position of the hanger;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the hanger as installed;

2 Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view showing how the hanger is unlocked and opened for removal and replacement of cables.

Referring to the drawing more specifically, it is seen that a cable hanger made in accordance with this invention is formed of a single strip or elongated piece of resilient material bent to provide a cable-embracing and normally open loop 5 having relatively long side portions convergently extended towards the free ends of the loop. These free ends are bent back toward the loop proper to form rounded hooks l and 8 facing in the same direction and normally spaced apart. These hooks and the sides of the loop may be readily forced or spread apart to permit of placing the object to be supported, such as the cable A. The bottom part of the loop and contiguous side portions are preferably shaped to conform to and grip the cable or other object supported in the loop.

The hook I is adapted to be hooked over the hook 8 as shown in Fig. 2 with the two hooks in nested relation to close the loop around the cable or object to be supported. The hook 8 is constructed and arranged so that it may be hooked onto a support such as the messenger wire B here shown, either before or after the hooks are hooked together to close the loop around the cable, and it is therefore apparent that the hooks may be disengaged from one another to open the loop without removing the hook 8 from the messenger wire, thereby facilitating the removal and replacement of cables or the like.

In accordance with this invention the hook 8 is formed with a lon lever-like bill end 9 which is curved downwardly and outwardly to project considerably beyond the bill end it of the hook I when the hooks are engaged with one another as shown in Figs.'2 and 4. A locking member I l, here shown as a tongue, is struck out from the extended bill portion 9 of the hook B so that it will lie under the wire as shown in Figs. 2 and 4 to prevent accidental dislodgment of hook 8 from said wire. This tongue is resilient and yields to allow the wire to snap past it and enter the hook, then springs back into its locking position beneath said wire.

In striking the tongue H from the extended bill end 9 of the hook 8 so that said tongue extends inwardly and upwardly towards the center of said hook, there is formed an opening 12 in said bill end for reception of a locking lip or projection I3 on the bill end Ill of hook I. The

bill end It) is tapered to a narrow point Which is bent inwardly substantially at right angles to the adjacent portion of the bill and forms the looking lip l3.

With reference to Fig. 2 the dotted showing illustrates how the hooks l and 8 may be brought together and when these hooks are brought into nested and hooked relation as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the locking lip I3 will automatically snap into the openin l2 so as to contact the adjacent end margin of said opening and lock the hooks against accidental disengagement. 7

When it is desired to disengage the hooks 1 and 8 so as to open the loop 6 for removal of the cable, the operator grasps the loop around the bottom and back thereof and depresses the bill end 9 inwardly and downwardly in the direction indicated by arrows in Figs. 4 and 5, whereupon the extended bill end 9'Wil1 be moved away from the hook I and the lip [3 will clear the opening 12 in bill end 9. This disengagement of the hooks is aided by the upward pressure exerted by the operator on the bottom of the loop as the bill end 9 is depressed. Usually the hooks will assume the unlocked position shown in full lines in Fig. 5 and upon pushing the released hook I rearwardly over the top of the hook 8 in the direction indicated by the uppermost arrow in Fig. 5, the hook will spring apart into the dotted line open position shown in Fig. 2. This opening of the loop does not affect the hooked engagement of hook 8 with the messenger wire B and the hanger therefore remains on the messenger wire subject to being closed again when a cable is replaced in the loop.

With a suitable tool or by hand the hook 8 may be pulled outwardly and the locking tongue H pushed or pried outwardly toward the bill end 9 so that the hook 8 may be lifted off the messenger wire when it is desired to remove the hanger therefrom.

It should be noted thatwhen the hooks T and 8 are hooked to one another they form a double hook which may be hooked over the wire B so that the loop will depend therefrom and be reliably supported thereon. Should the inner hook 8 break the other hook will support the hanger and if the lip It breaks or springs out of the opening !2 the curvature of the hook I is such that it will remain hooked over hook 8.

It should be noted that extended bill end 9 has a three-fold function in that it makes it possible to provide the locking tongue H in a novel and expeditious manner for locking the hanger on the wire B, provides the opening 12 for the locking lip l3 in the striking out of the tongue, and serves as a releasing lever which when depressed unlocks the interlocked hooks so that they can be readily separated to open the loop while the hook 8 and tongue H lock the hanger on the wire.

While we have shown and described a specific embodiment of our invention we do not limit ourselves to the exact details of construction set forth, and the invention embraces such changes, modifications and equivalents of the parts and their formation and arrangement as come within the purview of the appended claims.

We claim: i

1. In a hanger for cables and the like, a resilient normally open loop for embracing a cable or the like, hooks formed on the free ends of said loop constructed and arranged to be hooked under tension one over the other in nested relation to close the loop with the innermost of the nested hooks disposed so that it may be hooked onto a messenger wire or object for supporting the hanger, locking means embodied in portions of said hooks arranged to interlock incident to hooking said hooks to one another, a resilient looking tongue on said innermost hook disposed to lie beneath said wire or object to prevent accidental dislodgement of the hanger therefrom, and an extension of said innermost hook projecting from the bill end of the other hook so that it may be manipulated to release said locking means whereby said hooks may be disengaged to open the loop.

2. In a hanger for cables and the like, a resilient normally open loop for embracing a cable or the like, hooks formed on the free ends of said loop constructed and arranged to be hooked under tension one over the other in nested relation to close the loop with the innermost of the nested hooks disposed so that it may be hooked onto a messenger wire or object for supporting the hanger, a locking lip embodied in a portion of one of said hooks and arranged to interlock with an apertured part of the other tongue incident to hooking said hooks to one another, a resilient locking tongue on said innermost hook disposed to lie beneath said Wire or object to prevent accidental dislodgement of the hanger therefrom, and an extension of said innermost hook projecting from the bill end of the other hook so that it may be manipulated to release said locking means whereby said hooks may be disengaged to open the loop, while said locking member remains in' a position to lock the innermost hook on said wire or object. i

3. In a hangerfor cables and the like, a resilient normally open loop for embracing a cable or the like, hooks formed on the free ends of said loop adapted to be hooked one over the other in nested relation to close the loop with the innermost hook disposed to be hooked over a wire or other object for supporting the hanger, an inwardly directed locking lip on the outer hook engageable with said inner hook, and an extension on the bill of said innermost loop projecting outwardly and downwardly from the bill of the other hook and arranged to be manipulated for unhooking said lip from the inner hook without unhooking the innermost hook from said wire or other object.

l. In a hanger for cables and the like, a resilient normally open loop for embracing a cable or the like, hooks formed on the free ends of said loop adapted to be hooked one over the other in nested relation to close the loop with the innermost hook disposed to be hooked over a wire or other object for supporting the hanger, an extension on the bill of said innermost loop projecting outwardly and downwardly from the bill of the other hook arranged to be manipulated for unhooking the hooks without unhooking the innermost hook from said wire or other object, a resilient locking tongue struck out from said extension so as to project inwardly to lie under the wire or object on which the innermost hook is supported, there being an opening formed in said extension by the striking of said tongue therefrom, and a locking lip on the other hook arranged to snap into said opening to lock said hooks together incident to the bringing of said hooks into nested and hooked relation to one another.

5. Ina hanger for cables and the like, a resilient normally open loop for embracing a cable or the like, hooks formed on the free ends of said loop adapted to be hooked one ov'er'the other in nested relation to close the loop with the innermost hook disposed to be hooked over a wire or other object REFERENCES CITED for supporting the hanger an extension 0n the The following references are of record in the bill of said innermost loop projecting outwardly file of this patent.

and downwardly from the bill of the other hook,

and a resilient locking tongue struck out from g UNITED STATES PATENTS said extension so as to project inwardly to lie Number Name Date er t e W e or object on Which the innermost 1,022,226 Davis 2 1912 hook is supported 1,215,009 Edwards 6 19 7 RONALD EDGAR EGGERT- 1,221,006 wessel Man 27 19 7 LEONARD CARL BROSE. 1o 

